Rhetoric Society of America

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Klal Rhetorica: Jewish Rhetorical Traditions

Janice W. Fernheimer and David Metzger

Klal Rhetorica: Jewish Rhetorical Traditions

Janice W. Fernheimer, University of KentuckyDavid Metzger, Old Dominion University

Jewish rhetorics complicate oppositional theories of identity and culture and call attention to a two-thousand year history which cuts across the traditional, cultural and geographic divisions conceptualized as Western and non-Western. Early examinations of Jewish rhetorics focused on what makes them different from other rhetorics, but this workshop will consider points of connection and dialogue. First we will first examine how Jewish discursive practices (reading, teaching, argument) emerged as intercultural activities, and then we will consider how Jewish rhetorics might be explored in relation to other discursive traditions (such as philosophy, history, popular cultures) and transnational rhetorical traditions.

Our participants will share their on-going projects and join us as we link this work with the workshop, Going Deep with The New Rhetoric, led by Linda Bensel-Meyers, James Crosswhite, David Frank, and John Gage.